


Scaffolding

by JunieBug



Series: Spring Marathon Ficlets [1]
Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-28 22:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6347515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JunieBug/pseuds/JunieBug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clients bring a lot of thing into the office- stress, problems, issues but never kids. </p><p>Frank and Laurel babysitting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scaffolding

**Author's Note:**

> The beginning of a spring break marathon of flaurel ficlets.

It was supposed to be just another regular early morning in the office.

Laurel wasn’t expecting much. Annalise had just taken up a case for a mobster; something about hiring a hit, and other than Bonnie and Frank, the rest of them were kind left in the dark about it.

Annalise said that this case was personal and also dangerous and gave them all small jobs to fill their time while Bonnie and Frank did most of the work for the case. 

It was supposed to be an easy week. 

So when Laurel walks into the house and hears Connor yelling, “I can’t change a damn diaper, you do it.” Her face twists into confusion.

She walks into the living room to find a little boy sitting on the couch, he’s probably 6 or 7 and a baby in Connor’s arms. Well, sorta. 

He’s holding her out in front of him like he’ll catch a disease if she’s too close.

“What’re you guys doing?” Laurel places her bag on the coffee table and looks around. 

Wes has a diaper bag slung over his shoulder and Michaela is staring at her phone; one peek and Laurel can see that she’s just googled how to put a baby diaper on. 

“We got stuck with our client’s kids for the rest of the week. Know how to change a diaper?” Asher is scratching the back of his head, looking concerned when he answers Laurel. 

Everyone looks nervous around the kids, mainly the baby, and it’s like they’ve never seen a kid before in their lives. 

She walks over to Connor and grabs the baby from him. Laurel can automatically tell that she needs a diaper change, even without touching her bottom. Without saying a word, she motions for Wes to hand her the diaper bag. 

“You guys are so ridiculous, it’s not that hard to change a diaper.” The rest of the group watch her as she quickly cleans up the baby. The kid’s changed in less than 2 minutes and it’s like she’s just performed a magic trick with the looks that they’re all giving her. 

“We got stuck with them this week?” She sits the baby down in her lap and starts rifling through the diaper bag. When she finds a teething toy, she hands it to the baby. “Annalise said that the family doesn’t trust anyone else with their kids, so they’re here.”

Laurel turns to look over at the little boy. He’s sitting there, playing on his little Ipad, and basically in another world. 

“These kids have names?” Michaela looks up from her phone again and shrugs. “Something like Taylor and Megan…?” 

“Tyler and Morgan.” Annalise walks into the living room and places a stack of files on the coffee table. “Michaela and Connor, you two are going with Bonnie for the case. Asher, Wes, you two come with me.” 

Laurel looks up at Annalise and frowns. “Um, should I come too or–” Annalise shakes her head. “No, the baby likes you. Stay here with the kids and you can look through those files for anything that could help.”

Laurel is about to protest but instead she shuts her mouth–this is a fight that Laurel would never win. 

So as everyone gets ready to leave, she settles down on the couch with the baby and a pile of files that are waiting for her. 

—

Frank nearly trips over a kid’s toy on the wooden floor of Annalise’s house. He bends forward to pick it up and looks at it questioningly. 

Then he hears, “Tyler! What did I say about jumping on the couch?” 

Laurel’s stern voice echos through the house and Frank’s surprised at how loud it sounds. He peers into the living room to find that the little boy that she’s yelling at is still jumping up and down on Annalise’s old couch. 

Frank glances over to Laurel and he can’t help but smirk. Her hair is disheveled, the baby sitting on her hip playing with the strands on her shoulder. 

She looks unamused, upset, and just plain tired. It’s actually pretty adorable if Frank was being honest. 

He walks into the living room and turns to the little boy on the couch. “Hey, c’mon buddy, let’s listen to Laurel and stop jumping on the couch.”

The kid just looks at him, indignant, his jumping just getting more crazy. Frank turns to Laurel and she just sighs.

“He hasn’t been listening all day.” 

Frank furrows his brows together and turns back to the kid. It’s not adorable anymore especially if Laurel’s been struggling with him for over 8 hours already.

“You know what?” Frank speaks directly at the little boy who is now pumping his arms up and down to get more air. “I heard that there’s a couch monster that sucks up little kids who jump up and down on it. This couch is so old that it’s probably asleep and if you stopped right now, it won’t wake up to pull you in.” 

The kid slows down and watches Frank. “I mean, he could be waking up as we speak.” 

And with that, the little boy plops down on the couch and crosses his arms together. 

He turns to look over at Laurel and it’s like watching a balloon deflate- all the tension suddenly leaving her shoulders with a deep sigh.

“He’s been like that all day?” Frank asks as he moves closer to her. She hands him the baby and he takes her without protest. 

“Yeah and no one has been home for hours and I don’t know when his parents are coming to get them.” Laurel sounds as frustrated as she looks as she stacks the files that have been strewn around the room into one. Frank watches as she starts gathering up baby toys too.

“How can I help?” Frank’s done for the day, he’s done the job Annalise gave him and now it’s time for his other job: taking care of Laurel.

“Dinner? I can’t remember the last time I ate.” 

She takes back the baby from him and before Frank heads to the kitchen, Laurel has pulled him towards her and plants a small, soft kiss to his lips.

—  
“Frank Delfino’s famous mac and cheese!” 

Laurel’s smile stretches across her face. Tyler is at the table stuffing spoonfuls of mac and cheese in his mouth. She has Morgan on her lap and is giving her little bits of the mac and cheese too. 

“Thanks Frank, I was just gonna order pizza but this is definitely better.” She watches him start to clean up the kitchen. The mac and cheese was the only last minute thing they both thought of for dinner and she’s so thankful that Frank can cook. 

For the first time all day Laurel feels content and not stressed out. Tyler is quiet, finally, and happily eating his food. The baby isn’t crying or pulling her hair and Frank just changed her diaper. It feels like the biggest miracle ever.

“Is Julia coming to pick us up?” Tyler looks up at her and asks with a muffled voice. Laurel looks at him questionably. “Who is Julia?” 

“Our nanny. Mommy and daddy always forget us but not Julia.”

Laurel sighs, she knows that feeling. Suddenly she feels terrible for being so frustrated with him all day. It’s not his fault that he and his sister were left with complete strangers for the day. 

“I don’t know who is picking you guys up but we can watch a movie after dinner and see what happens.” 

Tyler nods his head and continues to eat. She looks over at Frank who is watching her carefully. “What?” Her voice rises a little but is followed by a giggle. “Nothing, you ‘kay?” 

Laurel doesn’t know but she just dusts it off. “Yeah, he just brought up a few memories I guess.” 

Frank walks up to her and kisses her forehead. He doesn’t ask, he never does. He just comforts her and let’s her open up if she wants– never pressing her for anything. 

“Movie time! Movie time!” Tyler interrupts her thoughts as he jumps up from his seat. Just as she’s getting up, Frank grabs Tyler and swings him over his shoulder causing the little boy to laugh out loud.  
And her heart swells watching the two of them. 

—

“Frank! Hel-!” 

“Shhh!” Frank shushes Asher who is walking in with the rest of the gang. 

“Why do we have to be quiet?” Connor questions. They all follow Frank into the house and towards the living room. It’s late out now, around 10 in the evening. 

Frank has to stop them from walking into the room. Laurel and the kids have all fallen asleep on the couch. The baby sleeping on her chest and Tyler on her side. Frank placed a blanket over the three of them after they had fallen asleep; the movie was silently playing in the background still. 

“They’re still here?’ Annalise has walked up to Frank, she seems a little agitated by the sight but then her face softens. 

“Yeah, no one has come to pick them up yet.” 

Annalise shakes her head. “Bonnie, call the family. So we can relieve Ms. Castillo and Frank from their parent duties.”

She walks away towards her office. The rest of the K5 scamper around the living room, silently trying to pick up the rest of their things without waking up the kids. Bonnie pulls out her phone but before she calls the family she turns to Frank. 

“Got a good amount of practice in?” Frank looks at her questionably. “With the kids?” Bonnie is teasing him and he knows that but one look over at Laurel and how peaceful she looks with the kids makes his heart burst. 

He can’t imagine the future not looking like that. 

Bonnie looks over at him and rolls her eyes, he probably looks like a helpless puppy the way he’s looking over at them. 

“Hey, don’t get any ideas Frank. We still need Laurel here in the office.” Bonnie tries to sound as serious as possible but her voice gives way to a laugh. 

Frank shakes his head. “Nah, she’d kill me first.”

But he still grins thinking about a future with Laurel.


End file.
